High-pressure combustion-engine



w. a. GERNAND T HIGH PRESSURE COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATIOLN FILED JUNE 26,1918.

7 Patented Dec. 920.

2 SHEETS- 2.

ENT OFFICE.

WALDO G. GERNANDT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GERNANDT MOTOR; COR- BORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORP ORATION OF ILLINOIS.

HIGH-PRESSURE COMBUSTION-ENGINE.

T 0 aZZao ham it may concern Be it known that I, WALDO G. GERNANDT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have. invented certain new and useful Improvements in High Pressure Combustion-Engines, of which the following, when taken in connection with the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof, is a specification sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same v This invention relates to a combustion engine which does not require an ignition plug or spark, to ignite the fuel mixture contained in the combustion chamber of the engine;

and which does not require a carburetor to obtain a suitable fuel mixture of a hydrocarbon liquid and air.

7 The objects of the inventionare to obtain an engine of the kind named which is simple in'construction and certain in operation; which. contains few parts and not liable to break or get out of order; to obtain an economically made engine and one which is durable; and to obtain an engine which is easily understood and operated.

Additional objects are disclosed by the specification and claims.

I'have illustrated theeinvention setforth herein as embodied in a construction applied to a two cycle internal combustion engine, and in the drawings,

Figure l is a vertical section, in ignition position, and

Fig. 2 a like vertical section in position immediately prior or subsequent to ignitipn.

A reference character applied-to designate a given part is applied to said part wherever the same appears throughout the several figures'of the drawings.

Crank shafts driven by a connecting rod from a piston, and cam shafts adapted to unseat valves being common to reciprocating combustion engines I have not illustrated either the crank shaft, the cam shaft or the connections from the cam shaft to the valve in the drawings forming a part hereof. I

A represents a piston which isprovided with recess a and rings a, and is longitudinally movable in cylinder B. 7) represents the water cooling chamber of the engine; and C, the connection rod one end whereof Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 7, 1920. 1918. Serial No. 241,9g6.

is attached to piston A by the pin D. E- represents the air inlet to cylinder Band F the exhaust or outlet from said cylinder. G represents the combined compression and combustion chamber of the engine. H represents the head of cylinder B, and is secured thereto by'bolts h) with the ordinary packing (I) interposed between said head and the end of said cylinder. :The head H is represented as water cooled, h being the water cooling chamber thereof. J, j represents a fuel depository of two diameters. Portion j of the fuel depository is contained in the plug K, which is provided with external screw threads it which fit a correspondingly screw threaded recess in head H; and is also provided with the radially extending passageways 70 which means for continuous connection etween chambers G and J j. K indicates packing K and the head H before said plug is secured in position. The packing is to make sure that the only connection between said combustion and fuel depository chambers is by way of said apertures 7c. Lrepresents a plunger which is mounted to move longitudinally in portion J of fuel depository J j.

Z represents a shoulder on plunger L, which ons titute material which is interposed between plug forms a valve co-acting' with valve seat m.

Said valve is normally seated on said seat in lower end of pipe or conduit N is-joined to the plug, lettered 0. Plug O is provided with external screw threads at both ends; the threads on the lower end thereof fitting in corresponding threadsin a circular recess in head H. 0 represents packing material which is interposed between said plug 0 and the external face of head H before said plug ,is,'by means of said screw threads, rigidly.

, secured to said head. P represents a pas sageway through the plug 0,; which communicates at its upper end wi pipe or con-' duit N, and at its lower end i provided with the ball check valve 10. p"indicates a pin which limits the movement. ofcheck valve p.

Q represents a passageway which is in continuous communication at its lower end with fuel depository J and, when check valve p is unseated, is in communication at its upper end with passageway P.

The cam on the camshaft of the engine is connected to the plunger L, in the ordinary way, to actuate said plunger and said cam is set in timed relation with the crank shaft packing M.

of the engine to hold the shoulder I normally closed on seat m,'to insure no leakage'from the upper end of the fuel depository through Said .cams are also so shaped and set, in timed relation to the crank of the engine that as piston A approaches and is near to the limit of its upward travel plunger L is forced downward in portion J of fuel depository J j. g

The fuel depository being, as hereinbefore described, at all times in communication with the combustion chamber G of the engine a substantially equal pressure obtains in said fuel depository and in said combustion chamber, when the plunger L being in its normal position, with shoulder Z seated. When, however, plunger L is forced downward its rate of travel being faster than the travel of piston A, the pressure in the fuel depository is thereby increased to above the pressure in said combustion chamber, and

fuel contained in said depository, (at the. .lower end thereof), is forced therefrom through passageways it" into said combustion chamber. Upon said forcing of said fuel into said combustion chamber, the air contained therein being under pressure and by the rapid creation of said pressure, (as

well as by the high temperature of the cylinder B caused by previous 'combustions), bein' at a high temperature, ignition thereof wi 1 occur, and quick combustion thereof will follow; thereby forcing the piston A downward and actuating the engine.

The descent of the plunger L, where but little fuel is contained in the fuel deposi- I travel of said piston.

The. operation of the engine isl -Fuel .in a liquid form flows down supply pipe N from a source of sup ly under pressure, and flowing by the chec valve ;0 through the passageway Q, falls into fuel depository J j where, by gravity, it falls to the bottom of the portion of said fuel depository, adja-- cent to the inner ends of the radially ex tending passageways The relative length and diameter of these passageways is being such that a greater pressure at the inlet end thereof than at the outlet end is required to force a flow of said fuel therethrough, the fuel will remain in said lower end of said depository until the movement of the plunger L downward from its normal position, as illustrated in Fig. 1 to its position as illustrated in Fig. 2 occurs. The downward movement of said plunger L is timed relative to the movement of piston Aso that said plunger ll commences its downward movement at substantially" the same time said piston arrives at, and ready to commence its downward movement, the I pressure in the combustion chamber of the engine and in-said depository being at said time substantially the same. The rate of travel of said plunger, being considerably faster than the rate of travel at said time of said piston, the pressure of the contents of the fuel depository J j, is increased to above the pressure of the contents of the combustion chamber G and said contents including the fuel in said depository are forced through said radial passageway into the combustion chamber and into the air under pressure therein.

Combustion occurs on the entrance of said fuel into-said combustion chamber and said combustion is continuous until the maxinium quantity of fuel which can be burned by the quantity of air in said chamber is inilected thereinto.

he downward movement of said plunger in the above recited operation may vary in speed, thereby varying the time during which combustion continues in the combustion chamber of the engine. On the slower relative travel of said plunger a less initial ignition, pressure occurs in the combustion chamber than on a rapid movement ofsaid plunger, relative to the movement of the piston; but the combustion being longer continued theignition pressure is correspondingly longer continued in said combustion chamber.

By i niting fuel in the combustion chamber as t e piston passes over the dead center and continuing the said ignition by supply- 7 ing additional fuel in the man er last above recited, the maximum pressure n the com: bustion chamber is maintained to the time the piston has descended until the slippage angle of the crank shaft has been passed.

Particular attention iscalled to the position of tlie passageways is relative to the upper en 0 thepiston A at the time said piston is at the limit of its inward travel,

that is, toward the combustion chamber,

said position being illustrated in Fig. 1. The lower end of the plug K entering recess a, at said time, the radial discharge of fuel, from said passageways is close to the upper endof said piston and hence ignition will first occur adjacent to the piston, and from thence will spread upward, or remains stationary as piston A descends. The cushion afforded by the combustion commencing, as above recited, adjacent to the cylinder head, tends to lessen the shock in.- cident thereto in the combustion chamber. The piston being in motion on the power travel thereofbefore all the combustionwhich occurs in said chamber is completed, is an additional beneficial condition in a high pressure combustion engine.

I claim:

1. In an engine, provided with a combustion chamber, a fuel depository, having two diameters, a plug in the lower portion of said depository, said plug provided with a central hollow portion which forms the part of the fuel depository of lesser diameter and with radially extending passageways in continuous communication with said depository and with the combustion chamber, and means to supply fuel to said deposi- 'tory, in combination with means, compris part of the fuel depository .of lesser diameter, and with radially extending passageways in continuous communication with 'said depository and with the combustion chamber, and means to supply fuel to said depository, in combination with means comprising a longitudinally movable plunger positioned in the part of said depository of larger. diameter, to force the contents of said depository, including said fuel, through said radially extending passageways into said combustion chamber, sald plunger provided with a shoulder, and a valve seat adapted to I 'co-act with said shoulder.

3. In an engine provided with a combustion chamber, a fuel depository, means, comprising a fuel supply pipe, a check valve thereto, and a passageway thefefrom to said depository, to supply fuel to said depository, and radially extending passageways in continuous communication with said combustion chamber and said depository, said passageways of small diameter to obstruct, the

pressure being equal in said depository and g chamber, flow of fuel therethrough, in combination with means comprising a valve seat, a plunger lon 'tudinally movable and a shoulder on sai plunger arranged to co-act with said seat, said plunger when advanced adapted to increase the pressure in said depository, to force fuel through said passageways and into said combustion chamber, and whenretracted to seat said shoulder.

I WALDO Gr. GERN-ANDT. In the presence of-- CHARLES TURNER BROWN, J. SGUDDER. 

